Blinded
by MyHikari
Summary: Sakura has a dream that causes her to come to a shattering realization. Pre-war.


Blinded

A/N: Hey guys, how you doing? I come bearing more Narusaku! Shouldn't be angstier tbh, but hey there's nothing wrong with that sometimes. I truly hope you enjoy it. Also, don't worry, this isn't SS I promise. If you want to check out more NaruSaku oneshots of mine, I have one called The Blossoming of Sakura Haruno and another called Cardiopulmonary.

* * *

_"I..I love you, I love you so much I can't stand it!" Sakura cried, tears rushing down her face as she looked to Sasuke, whose back was turned to her. "If you and I were together, I swear I wouldn't let you regret it! We'll be happy everyday! I'm willing to do anything for you, please stay, I'm begging you..."_

_He remained silent, and her desperation grew even more, as she began to panic and plead. "I'd kill for you! Anything you want me to do, I'll do it for you. Please, stay with me, and if that's not possible, then take me with you!"_

_Turning around, Sasuke looked to her, causing her hopes to rise. "You really are very annoying."_

_He turned around once more, continuing on his way. "Don't go!" she exclaimed, "If you take one more step, I'll start screaming!"_

_The last thing she remembered was his voice whispering "Sakura...thank you," before everything went black._

* * *

_"Naruto, I beg you! Please..please bring Sasuke back!" Sakura said, yet more tears streaming down her face. She felt so useless, unable to stop Sasuke and unable to join the retrieval team. Naruto was her greatest hope now._

_"I couldn't do it, I couldn't stop him! The only person who can probably stop Sasuke-kun now is you, Naruto. Only you..."_

_Naruto looked down. "Sakura-chan, you really like Sasuke, huh? I know how much pain you're in because of Sasuke. I can understand."_

_Sakura suddenly felt overwhelmed with hope, and gratitude for Naruto. "Naruto, thank you!"_

_"Don't worry! I'll bring him back! Promise of a lifetime!"_

* * *

_"I only became part of your team recently when I replaced Sasuke. So, I don't really know everything that's going on, I don't really umderstand people either. I don't know what promises he's made to you, but even I can tell that he really loves you!" Sai said, looking Sakura directly in the eye._

_Sakura's eyes widened, and she immediately felt tears falling down her face._

_"Naruto's been shouldering that promise for a long time, and I think he means to shoulder it for the rest of his life. I don't know you said to him, but it's just like what's been done to me. It feels like a curse. Sasuke causes Naruto pain, but I think you do too."_

_Out of everything Sai had said, the last part hit the hardest. How could she not have seen it before? She didn't feel worthy of Naruto's love, having asked so much of him._

_It wasn't long before Shikamaru entered and requested her permission to kill Sasuke. Deciding to inform Naruto of this herself, she scrambled to figure out what to say, so that she caused him the least amount of pain._

* * *

_"What did you say just now, Sakura-chan? I dunno if I heard you wrong, can you say it again?" Naruto said, a surprised and incredulous look on his face._

_"What I said, Naruto, is that I love you!" Sakura said, a blush spreading across her cheeks. "There's nothing between Sasuke and I anymore, I don't know what I was thinking liking a person like that."_

_Naruto continued to seem doubtful as Sakura tried to explain herself. "Sasuke-kun just keeps getting further from me, but Naruto, you've always stayed by my side. You've encouraged me. The mischievous little dummy I knew, little by little is becoming this great and important man, and I've been watching from right next to him. But all Sasuke's done is commit crimes and break my heart, more and more he's become a different person than what he was, so distant. But, Naruto, you're right here where I can touch you like this. You make me feel safe."_

_Sakura wasn't prepared for Naruto to say that he hated people who lied to themselves, and she certainly wasn't prepared for the sting of being rejected by him of all people. Later, as she confronted Sasuke, and needed to be saved by Naruto, she felt an overwhelming amount of emotion. Naruto, whom she expected to be furious with her had saved her yet again, and she failed to end the source of his pain, that cursed Promise of a Lifetime. All the meanwhile, Sasuke was even more forgone than he had previously been._

* * *

She woke with a start, covered in a cold sweat, and shaking. It was only a dream, but she felt horrible, as if she'd been forcibly sent into reality.

Her dream had been memories, some quite recent and painful. Clutching a cold and shaky hand to her chest, she wiped sweat from her forehead with the other and realizing she had been crying.

It wasn't unusual for Naruto and Sasuke to make appearances in her dreams, especially now that a war would start tomorrow and it was all to protect her blonde teammate.

Standing with a shiver, she walked to the window of her bedroom, looking out forelornly. She hoped Naruto was ok, and that Akatsuki wouldn't find him, she didn't know what she would do if he were to die.

Remembering the events of her dream, Sakura realized there was truth in the what she had tried to confess to Naruto. He was always by her side, and he did encourage her and make her feel safe. She doubted she could ever truly trust Sasuke again, especially if she had a romantic relationship with him, like her 12 year old self had dreamed.

How misguided she was back then, failing to truly understand both her teammates, and to put such a heavy load onto Naruto's back. Knowing he had loved her all those years, still made her break down from time to time.

"I really screwed things up didn't I," she whispered, sliding down into a sitting position against her wall. She'd been a young girl in love with the wrong person, infatuated by the idea of him, a cold and mysterious loner.

She supposed a small part of her would retain her 12 year old love for Sasuke forever, but she mostly felt uneasy at the thought of him. 'I hope he doesn't show up during the war and complicate things,' she mused.

Standing once more and seeing the sun rising, she ran a hand through her pink hair and looked to her packed up gear. Today, she and the rest of the ninja in her village would depart for the battlefield.

Brushing off a tiny thought that she might not come back, Sakura grabbed the team picture always on her nightstand, looking it over. They were so young then, so unaware of what was ahead, what troubles they would encounter and what pain they would endure.

"I was so blind back then," she murmured to no one in particular. While she had seen warning signs that Sasuke would leave, she didn't know how far he would fall. She didn't see Naruto in the way she should've either.

Everything was different now, and after the war, she knew everything would change even more. Steeling herself, she resolved to do everything she could to protect and support Naruto and his goals.

"Naruto, I'm sorry."

* * *

A/N: And there you have it. I apologise if I over-angsted, but I thought it'd be interesting to explore what Sakura could've been feeling pre-war. She'd had several wake up calls immediately before, so I'm sure she was probably struggling a bit.

Please, tell me what you think in a review!

Love you guys, MyHikari


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